Re: Addis family of Persimmon Valley, Ga.

I posted the below information a few minutes ago in response to a message asking about a Richard Addis married to Mary Wooten. That poster thought he might have been born in Tate City, GA. Said the IIRC 1880 Census showed his parents as being from SC.

Hope this is of Help.

John R. Johnson

The parents of Samuel Torbert Jr. were Samuel Torbert Sr and Mrs Susannah Haslet Addis (former wife of Richard Addis). Samuel Torbert Sr was married ca 1749 in Bucks Co. PA to Mrs Addis. She was born ca 1730. The children of Samuel Torbert Sr and Susannah Haslet Addis were.... 1. Elizabeth born ca 1750 in Union Co S.C. died 1821 in Tuscaloosa Co., Alabama; married 3X* 2. Samuel Jr. born in Union Co. 3. Susannah born ca 1758 in Union Co.; married ca 1780 to James Loggins 4. Ann born ca 1760 in Union Co.; married ca 1780 to William Hall.

Since there has been some confusion about a Samuel Torbert, Jr. and wife Susanna, who also lived in Bucks County, later moving to South Carolina and having descendants, I am including research conclusions of Steve W. Musgrove; email: SWMusgrove@aol.com, as follows:

Starting from the time of the Revolutionary War, and working backward: We know from a variety of historical records that a man named Richard Addis [Jr.] lived in present-day Union County, SC during the time of the Revolutionary War, that he served in the SC Patriot Militia(s), and later in the SC line. We know that he was married, had a child, and died in Union County; also that he had been born in Bucks County, PA. As a number of other historical records show, Richard Addis [Jr.] was the son of Susannah Torbert [of South Carolina, henceforth "SC"], and the stepson of Samuel Torbert [SC], who lived along the Broad River of Union County, SC. Samuel Torbert [SC] is well documented, his name appearing on a large number of historical documents, and his signature on many. Susannah is listed as his wife, in his will, which is recorded in one of the early Will Books of Union County, SC. Evidently, Samuel Torbert [SC], his wife Susannah, and her son Richard Addis [Jr.] moved to the Carolinas from Bucks Co., PA after 1749. The reason for this assumption is as follows:

Richard Addis [Jr., SC] was born in Bucks Co., PA on July 4, 1749, the son of Richard Addis [Sr.] and wife Susannah Addis. Richard Addis [Sr.] was born in Bucks Co., PA on November 1, 1725, and died in Bucks Co., PA prior to October 7,1749, leaving a will [witnesses: Robert Heslett, possibly a brother of Susannah, and Evan Jones], dated September 19, 1749 [and proved on Oct. 7, 1749, executors were his brothers, Jacob Benet Addis and John Addis, born Nov. 1, 1725], in which he named his wife, Susannah, and his five children - 2 daughters [Charity and Mary] and 3 sons, John, Simon and Richard [Jr.]. Following the death of Richard Addis [ Sr.] his widow, Susannah, married Samuel Torbert [SC]. Given the customs of the times, and the resultant need for a suitable period of mourning, it must be assumed that Susannah Addis and Samuel Torbert [SC] would not have married before 1750. Not long after Samuel Torbert [SC] and Susannah Addis Torbert were married, John Addis sued them over the ownership of Richard [Sr.] Addis's tanyard. John Addis was the brother of Richard Addis [Sr.], and he sued on behalf of Richard's minor children, of whom he had become guardian. I have not yet seen a true copy of the court record, but it is my understanding that John Addis prevailed in his suit against Samuel [SC] and Susannah Torbert. Subsequent to losing the suit, Samuel [SC] Torbert, his wife Susannah Addis Torbert, and her son Richard Addis [Jr.] moved from Bucks Co., PA to the frontier of the western Carolinas, along the upper reaches of the Broad River. The earliest mention of Samuel Torbert [SC] in the Carolinas seems to be land records of the mid-1760s. Up to this point I feel that I am on solid ground, as primary historical records exist to confirm any/all of the foregoing. From here on I will speculate a bit, and you will see the one important change in my understanding of things. The historical record is clear in stating that Richard Addis [Sr.] of Bucks Co., PA was married twice. His first wife died, and it is claimed that he married his second wife on August 9, 1747. The twenty-three months between that date and the date of Richard [Jr.] Addis's birth is both adequate and respectable. Therefore, it can be deduced that Richard Addis [Jr.] was the son of Richard Addis [Sr.] and his second wife, Susannah. But what about the other four children of Richard Addis [Sr.]? Since, apparently, Susannah Addis Torbert took only Richard [Jr.] to South Carolina, it must be concluded that the other four children were not hers, and therefore that they were the issue of Richard Addis [Sr.] and his first wife. Various sources claim that the two wives of Richard Addis [Sr.] were Susanna(h) Haslett and Susannah (Mary) Maria Wyckoff, but there is no agreement as to which was Richard [Sr.] Addis's first wife, and which was his second. The answer to this conundrum, however, can be solved by applying the information that you provided in your last e-mail - i.e., that Simon Wyckoff listed the children of Richard Addis [Sr.] as his grandchildren. Note that Simon Wyckoff lists multiple grandchildren as his heirs. Since only the first wife of Richard Addis [Sr.] had multiple children, the clear implication is that the first wife of Richard Addis [Sr.] was the daughter of Simon Wyckoff, or Susannah (Mary) Maria Wyckoff. Therefore, the second wife of Richard Addis [Sr.], and subsequently the first wife of Samuel Torbert [SC], must have been Susanah Haslett. It is interesting to note that although there are fairly good records about the family of Simon Wyckoff, and although there is mention of a daughter named (Mary) Maria, there is no mention made of a daughter named Susannah. It is therefore my contention that earlier family researchers saw the name " wife, Susannah" in the will of Richard Addis [Sr.], and erroneously added it to the name (Mary) Maria Wyckoff. Therefore, it is now my position that the first wife of Richard Addis [Sr.] was (Mary) Maria Wyckoff, and that his second wife was Susannah Haslett; further, that following the death of Richard Addis [Sr.], his second wife, Susannah Haslett Addis, married Samuel Torbert [SC]. Now things seem to fit together seamlessly. However, I can still do little more than guess as to the parentage of the mysterious Samuel Torbert, born 1730 and who died in 1798 in Union County, South Carolina, according to descendant Jeff Torbert [jtorbert1@aol.com]. This application of the facts seems much more satisfactory to me. Please let me know what you think; and thanks for sharing that information. Steve